When is the best time to visit Botswana?

To make the most of Botswana’s wildlife-rich game reserves, it’s best visited during the dry season/winter months of April to October.

Vegetation is at a minimum during these dry months, which makes spotting wildlife much easier, as they congregate around waterholes to get much-needed refreshment.

The skies are clear and rain is scarce during April and October. Mosquitoes are also at a minimum.

Make sure you pack in warm clothing as the mornings and evenings tend to get quite chilly.

Weather to expect in Botswana

Gaborone’s average temperature in °Centigrade

Gaborone’s average temperature in °Fahrenheit

Map of Botswana

Things to see and do in Botswana

See the Big Five

One of the main reasons why people travel to Botswana is to experience the Big Five wildlife: lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant.

The latter can be found in abundance in Botswana, especially along the banks of Chobe River – which supports up to 50,000 elephants during the dry season.

You can also spot the Big Five in the Moremi Game Reserve, which lies on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta. Other animals you can expect to see here are giraffe, cheetah, impalas, jackal, Red lechwe, hippos as well as over 400 species of birds.

Explore the Okavango Delta with a mokoro

There’s no better way to navigate through the meandering waterways of the Okavango Delta other than using a mokoro – a traditional dug-out canoe which will keep you dry while exploring this wildlife-rich haven.

Expertly guided by a local – nothing else will get you closer to Botswana’s wildlife.

Visit one of the world’s largest salt pans

Covering an area of 3900 square kilometres, Botswana’s Makgadigadi Pans is one of the largest salt pans on the planet – the last remnant of the massive Lake Makgadigadi.

When it rains, the pans becomes a hub for all resident wildlife. It’s an important habitat for migrating animals such as wildebeest and one of Africa’s biggest zebra populations and the large predators that prey on them. The wet season also brings migratory birds such as ducks, geese and Great white pelicans.

Popular Botswana tours

Namibia and Botswana Uncovered

Overland tour

14 days

On these two-week Namibia and Botswana Safari holidays, you’ll get to explore some of the most varied landscapes in Africa. Travelling from west to east, this tour starts in Swakopmund on the coast of Namibia and travels all the way to Victoria Falls on the border of Zimbabwe.

The Grand Southern Safari

Overland tour

20 days

This comprehensive 20-day tour covers the well-worn route from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, crossing South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, and ending in Zimbabwe. It’s a truly grand African safari. This is an ‘accommodated’ tour, staying in hotels and lodges rather than camping.